Tardy
by Book Thief
Summary: ET What would happen if Tomoyo, was for once in her life, late for class? The same time Eriol returns from England? Oneshot if ya don't mind.


**Hey guys! **

**I just finished this while at school (on my notebook.). Then I placed it here on the computer. Please don't be angry since i'm not finishing my other story. **

**  
I just don't have much time. I'm writing this for a friend (Who is a complete ET nut). You hear that Justine?!  
**

**But anyway, I've gotta go, since I'm doing my Science assignments. Anyone there know anything about Electron Distribution?**

* * *

**Tardy**

**By: Book Thief **

Tomoyo Daidouji was not one whom people expected to be late. She never was tardy, even as a baby. Until now, she always arrived at school at least fifteen minutes before class. Even earlier, if possible.

But she was late today. Her darling Sakura-chan was coming with her boyfriend and fellow cardcaptor Syaoran Li, so waiting for her was not the issue. Her daily routine did not alter in any way, and still, she was LATE!

As she ran, she gave time to think about her second cousin and favorite model, Sakura Kinomoto. She knew that Sakura and Syaoran were already dating, but they've only walked to school together twice in their whole relationship! Tomoyo had to change this. So, for today, Sakura was going to school with Syaoran.

Tomoyo ran to school, as her private chauffer was busy tending to a flat tire at least two miles away from school. Even though this has happened on a regular basis, Tomoyo managed to arrive fifteen minutes before classes. So how is today any different?

As she ran, her black tresses flew behind her, shining violet in the bright sunlight. Her pale purple-like eyes (Dubbed as amethyst by her classmates) constantly checked the distant, but distinct figure of Tomoeda School's Clock tower. 'Four minutes left!' she thought quickly, speeding her pace.

Tomoyo is NOT athletic. She had the looks, the brains, but not Sakura-chan's natural athletic prowess. The young fourteen year old girl with black hair barely passed all her Physical Education tests and other needed sports due to luck and with help from Sakura, Chiharu, and, just before she left for Hong Kong, Meiling-chan.

The pretty (and also beautiful) girl sighed as she remembered a bit of bad news. Chiharu-chan and Yamazaki-kun (as they are cousins) were on a family reunion in Hokkaido. Meiling-chan was in Hong Kong. Rika-chan was sick in bed. Naoko-chan was at a convention for young writers. Syaoran Li-kun is at his beloved Cardmistress' side.

'Hmm...,' she thought to herself. She continued to run, not paying attention to her surroundings. 'I have a feeling I forgot someone. Who could it be?' she counted and named all her friends mentally. Wasn't someone missing?

The Tomoeda Clock tower began to ring. It was the warning bell to those who were late. Tomoyo's eyes traveled to the clock's face.

'Oh no, only two minutes left!' she dashed down the street, oblivious to everything around her. But the unfortunate girl did not see that the road in front of her was slippery and wet. But the only thought that passed through her mind was her tardiness.

And Tomoyo tripped and slid down the slippery sidewalk. She felt the shock run through her body, and braced herself for impact. 'The Fates are out to get me!' she considered.

Instead of a hard, cemented road, she could feel the supple fabric of a shirt, and the muscled chest of a young man. His hands embraced her, and his soft but calloused hands on her back and hair sent shivers down her spine.

Perhaps it was the heat, or the rigorous exercise she just experienced, but whatever it was, Tomoyo Daidouji, the human porcelain doll, princess of perfection, the lady who could never be embarrassed, blushed brighter than a ripe tomato.

"Daidouji-chan, are you alright?"

Tomoyo raised her eyes to stare straight into a familiar face of Clow's descendant, Eriol Hiiragizawa.

"E-Eriol-kun?" she asked uncertainly. She almost immediately reprimanded herself for stuttering in front of him. She peered directly into his dark blue eyes. For some reason, the sight of his smile made her heart beat wildly.

It couldn't be... could it?

"Good morning, Eriol-kun." She said, suddenly hoping that he couldn't see her scarlet face. If he did, she hoped that he thought it was merely because of the heat.

"Good day, Tomoyo-chan." He replied in his smooth, baritone voice.

"Pardon me for asking, but what are you doing here, Eriol-kun? I'm glad to see you, of course." Tomoyo asked, more out of curiosity than anything.

Eriol had that little grin on his face, the same one he used before teasing his favorite male descendant Syaoran. "Ah, I've come to check up on those two lovebirds. By the way, where are they?" he stated.

Tomoyo's heart dropped. Her stomach lurched with disappointment. 'If only she were here to visit me...' Her eyes widened at her sacrilegious notions. 'What am I thinking? I can't... no, it probably isn't...' she gasped.

"Daidouji-san? Daidouji-san... Daidouji? Daidouji, are you alright? Tomoyo!" Eriol called, his eyes glazed with concern. He shook her by the shoulders gently. Tomoyo finally popped out of her dream-like state. "Yes?"

"Are you alright, Tomoyo? You weren't responding, so I became worried..." Eriol confessed, looking very anxious. Tomoyo felt her knees weaken. 'He's worried... about me?'

She gave a shaky laugh to cover her blushes. "It's nothing, Eriol-kun. It's probably the heat." Eriol looked at her closely. "Are you sure? You look a little flushed."

The blushing girl gave a charming grin. "Please don't worry about me. I'm feeling fine." The gentleman nodded hesitantly. "If you say so, Dai--, I mean Tomoyo-chan."

He stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If I may ask, where are Sakura-chan and Li-kun?" Tomoyo smiled and explained to him that they went to school together, and her little match-making plot. Eriol laughed gaily.

"Oh no, I will be late for class!" Tomoyo cried to herself. Eriol looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, I held you up. Perhaps we better go in." He apologized. Tomoyo looked at him carefully. If she wasn't Tomoyo Daidouji, what she was doing could be considered as leering.

Eriol's dark hair was longer, his eyes brighter and his smile... different somehow, as if he had a little secret that he didn't want anybody to know about. That smile melted Tomoyo's heart. She then noticed he wore the Tomoeda School Uniform.

"Where have my manners gone?" He scolded himself. He kneeled on the ground and took the bewildered girl's hand in his. "My Lady." He said, kissing her hand.

Tomoyo's hands felt numb, her knees began to quiver underneath her school uniform. She couldn't even speak. Her heart pounded faster and harder than ever. "Eriol..." she whispered.

After a proper moment, Eriol released her hand and stood up. Tomoyo saw his eyes flicker with emotion. As quick as it came, it disappeared, and in its stead, there was that smile of his, with that hidden little secret that Tomoyo wanted to reveal.

"Tomoyo-chan, there's a bit of dirt on your cheek." Eriol pointed out.

"There... is?" She frowned, trying to rub it off.

"Here...," Clow's reincarnation breathed. "Let me..." he whispered huskily. He tenderly rubbed her cheek with his thumb. Tomoyo stared at him, clearly entranced.

He stopped rubbing and looked directly into her eyes. She flushed and stared at her feet. Tomoyo couldn't understand what she was feeling. It couldn't be, could it?

Eriol didn't stop there. Tightened the grip of his hands on her back, and brought himself closer to her. Tomoyo raised her head. She stared into his eyes. She could feel herself moving closer to his lips. Soon, the distance between their lips decreased every second.

"Tomoyo..." he sighed.

"Eriol..." She murmured.

'No, wait, I'm not ready yet!' she felt a buzzing noise in her head tell her desperately. But the tension drowned any reason she had left. She was going to kiss him, whether or not she was ready.

Their lips were about to meet when...

_**"TOMOYO-CHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!"**_

The two quickly broke apart, just in time to see the naive cardmistress and her warrior run across the street to meet them. Tomoyo took this time to regain her composure and stop the blushing of her face.

"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo smiled, a feeling of relief and a bit of disappointment bubble in the pit of her abdomen.

"Tomoyo-chan, are you late as well? We better hurry! Let's go then, - is, is that Eriol-kun?" Sakura asked.

Li, silent as always, shot the half reincarnation a poisonous glare. "What are **YOU** doing here?" he demanded coldly.

Eriol smiled, a slight bit of color on his cheeks. "Simply for a visit, dear descendant. Am I not allowed this simple pleasure?" He asked innocently, pinching the other boy's cheek affectionately.

Sakura smiled a hundred watt grin. "Nice to see you back, Eriol-kun." She then turned on her boyfriend. "Be nice, Syaoran!"

Tomoyo smiled at him. "Good morning, Li-kun." Syaoran inclined his head. "Morning Tomoyo." He said gruffly. "And as I've said a million times, call me SYAORAN. You are my friend, after all." He added after Sakura sent him a pointed look.

The Clock Tower rang loudly. "We're late!!!!!!!" Syaoran and Sakura cried together, dashing of to their classrooms.

Tomoyo looked at Eriol and blushed. Eriol looked the other way. But they smiled. "Hurry up!" Sakura called to them, waving from the school doors, "We're already late!"

* * *

And when they finally made it to their class, they each got a big, fat...

"...**Lecture**! For you, Kinomoto-san, this is normal, so please try to be on time. As for you, Li-san, I know you two are dating, but this should not cause you to be late as well. Both of you will have detention." Terada-sensei stated, pointing them to their seats.

"Sorry sir." The couple apologized, bowing.

"And Daidouji-san, this is your first tardy! I'll let you off this one time, but please be early next time. And Hiiragizawa-san, as you have just returned from England, you must be very weary. I'll also let you off this one time. But be sure it doesn't happen again!" He finished.

Our heroic four sat in their seats, promptly listening to their teacher discuss their new lesson. But every now and again, Tomoyo's eyes would wander to the person behind her, and she would blush a bright crimson and resign herself to a dreamy expression.

* * *

"Hiiragizawa. Stop. Following. Me." Li said, gritting his teeth together in annoyance. Eriol smiled. "I'm not following you, dear descendant. We are merely going in the same direction." Syaoran gave up, knowing he would lose in a competition of persistence.

Syaoran sat atop a tree outside a certain window, staring at a certain auburn haired girl in Math class. "Is this what you do in your spare time?" Eriol asked teasingly. Syaoran ignored him. "Don't you play with your friends? Come to think of it, where is Yamazaki-kun?" Eriol wondered.

"In a family reunion with Mihara-san. Yanagisawa is at some convention, and Sasaki-san is sick in bed." He finished.

"Ah..." The surprised boy murmured. "They're all gone today? That's unexpected..."

There was a remote silence. "Hiiragizawa, if you're just fooling around with her, I'll bash your face in. Lead her on, and Sonomi-san will disintegrate you. Break her heart, and Sakura will personally deal with you. And believe me, never get her angry." Li said from atop the tree.

"I won't, I promise." Eriol answered from the trunk side.

"Good. I'm going. Math class is just finished." Syaoran stated, a slight smile come to his face. He jumped down the tree.

Eriol grabbed his shoulder. "Wait. Let me give you a bit of advice as well. Hurt her, and the Kinomoto clan will be after your hide. Make her unhappy, and I will see to it you are punished, with the help of her guardians. Break her heart, and Tomoyo will kill you. So will everyone else."

Syaoran shook this threat away. "I love her, you moron. I'd never do that to her. By the way, meet me at four outside the gate."

Eriol watched the resolute young man walk away to search for his lady love. "Now, if only I can find mine... perhaps I've already found her." He smiled to himself.

* * *

"Hoeee..." Sakura groaned. "I hate math!" she announced after everyone left, leaving her and Tomoyo alone together.

Tomoyo laughed delightedly. "Do you now? Perhaps all that tutoring with Syaoran-san will need to be doubled, hmmm?" a sly twinkle passed through her eyes.

Sakura didn't notice the teasing. "Yeah, you're definitely right!"

Tomoyo giggled softly. "So cute..." she whispered, an image of someone else entering her mind. Sakura looked at her friend. "Tomoyo-chan, you were late today. Why was it?"

Tomoyo evaluated her answers. "I was... held up."

Sakura cocked her head sideward. "By Eriol-kun, perhaps? You two were unnaturally close to each other before I called out your name. I didn't recognize Eriol-kun though."

Tomoyo laughed gently, keeping her calm composure. Sakura continued on. "And you had this dreamy look on your face! It was so... cute! The same way I act when I think about Syaoran... wait a minute, are you in love?" She exclaimed.

Tomoyo hid her head. "Yes..."

"With whom?" the innocent girl asked.

"It's with... I..." The shy girl blushed, twiddling her fingers on her lap.

Sakura saw this. "I'm sorry; I shouldn't ask such personal questions." Tomoyo felt relief wash over her. Then the guilt came slowly afterwards. Sakura told her about her first crush, Yukito-kun. So why can't she share her secret with her?

But Sakura did say it when she was ready. Tomoyo decided. When she was absolutely sure of her feelings, she would confess it to her friend. But for now, she should be satisfied with a simple question.

"Sakura," Tomoyo asked nervously. "Have you ever... ever been kissed by Syaoran-san yet?"

Sakura blushed scarlet. "Yes, but not that far. Just on the cheek once or twice." Tomoyo looked at her. "Why?" Sakura grinned at this question. "Because I want to be ready. What's the reason? Because I want to be sure I love him and he loves me. I'm already positive I love him, but I still don't know when I'm ready, but Syaoran will."

Tomoyo smiled, relieved that she didn't kiss Eriol yet. But she still wanted to anyway. "You love and trust him so much, don't you?" Sakura nodded and hugged Tomoyo and whispered "I hope you're ready too." She then stood up and walked out the door. Tomoyo followed, still smiling.

Sakura looked at her watch. "I have detention with Terada-sensei, you?"

Tomoyo grinned. "Choir practice, I'll be done by four."

"I'll meet you at the front gate then. See you there!" Sakura grinned. Tomoyo could have sworn she saw a sly glint in her friend's eyes, but she ignored it, despite the prickling sensation running through her body. Waving goodbye, Tomoyo went ahead to the Music room.

Syaoran jumped in from an open window, and appeared behind his girlfriend. "Let's go home, Syaoran." She said to him, grinning widely. Syaoran looked at her.

"You sure?"

"Our detention was cancelled, wasn't it?" Sakura replied.

Syaoran shook his head and wrapped an arm around her neck. "Not that. About those two. You sure about this?" Sakura laughed happily.

"Of course! They deserve some privacy together! And it's about time they got together!"

Syaoran smiled. "Another reason I should love you even more." Sakura blushed and looked at him. "Whenever I hear you say such things, I can't help but love you even more." She confessed. He smiled again. "I think you're ready." He grinned.

"Ready for what?" she asked.

"This." He grinned, tipping her chin, and kissed her.

* * *

Tomoyo waited outside the school gate patiently. After choir practice, she had gone directly to the school gate. It was three fifty eight, so Sakura should be there any minute. "Sakura-chan, where are you?" she asked herself.

"Tomoyo-chan, you're still here?" A smooth baritone voice asked her. "Eriol-kun..." Tomoyo gasped, looking at him. "Li-kun asked me to come. Apparently, he's not here." Tomoyo looked the other way. "Sakura-chan asked me that too."

They looked at each other.

"Tomoyo-," Eriol started. Tomoyo looked at him alertly. "Yes?"

"Tomoyo," he said, putting his hand on her cheek. "Yes...?" she whispered.

Quickly, Eriol kissed her lips. "See you tomorrow!" he grinned, dashing to the other side of the road.

Tomoyo stared at him, unconsciously touching her lips. She smiled, a dreamy look crossing her features as she walked home.

"Eriol..."

* * *

**End! **

**How was that? **

** I feel... embarrassed writing fluff or anything romantic. It gives me the tingles.**

** For my dear friend, who has changed her penname yet again!  
**


End file.
